Long-term monitoring proposal of native bee fauna on a college campus in Phoenix, Arizona

Current research indicates that native and domesticate bee pollinators are in decline due to habitat loss, exposure to pesticides, and possibly mite-induced disease. Monitoring of bee populations in urban settings is necessary to gain an accurate assessment of the status of bee populations for conservation purposes. The use of community college campuses provides an ideal setting for the monitoring of urban bee populations as it can provide a stable floral community, a continual supply of researchers, and would provide the opportunity for student engagement in an extracurricular project. We are proposing the initiation and implementation of such a project at a local campus located in urban Phoenix, Arizona. The Paradise Valley Community College Campus is one of ten colleges in the Maricopa Community College District. Initial surveys of the Paradise Valley Community College Campus resulted in a plant species list included bee attractive flora such as Encelia farinosa, Baileya multiradiata¸ Opuntia spp., Salvia spp., and Cercidium spp. Initial surveys of the native bee fauna included Halictus spp., Megachile spp., and Apis spp. The overriding goals of this monitoring program are to establish a database for urban native bee fauna in Phoenix, Arizona, engage students in the active identification of native flora and bee species, and to promote active stewardship of the desert ecosystem through the conservation of bee pollinators.